Machine for combing seed off broom-corn



6. E. BURT.

. n Seed Separator.

. No. 14,596. l VPatenfed vApril 8, 1856.

GEORGE E. BURT, OF HARVARD, MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR COMBING SEED OFF BROOM-CORN.

Specication of Letters Patent No. 14,596, dated April 8, 1856.

To all whom, t may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. BURT, of Harvard, county of Worcester, and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Comb-- ing Seed Off Broom-Corn and Hatcheling other Fibrous Substances; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure l, is a longitudinal elevation; Fig. 2, a birds-eye view; Fig. 3, a vertical transverse section, and Fig. t an end elevation.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several figures.

The nature of my invention consists in arranging upon a suitable frame onek or more comb cyl-inders with teeth set spirally around their surfaces; these cylinders are placed longitudinally with the plane of a wheel` the diameter of which exceeds the length of the cylinders, and the face or periphery set with one or more rows of beards or teeth which holds or supports the broom-corn while it is being combed, or any "other iibrous substances to be hatcheled,

which is received from the endless belts which run longitudinally over the inclined table upon which the broom-corn or fibrous substances to be hatcheled is transversely laid, and ixed upon the beards or teeth by two pressure spur rolls, which are set each side of the bearded wheel directly above the point where the wheel passes through the inclined table; the article to be combed being kept on the beards or teeth by two bars arranged each side of the teeth concentric to the rim of the wheel; one being above and the other below the rim of the wheel; the lower one serving to bend the article to be combed to a position parallel or nearly so with the plane of the wheel, thus bringing the tips of the corn lirst in contact with the comb cylinder, and as the wheel revolves the parts near where it is secured to the wheel is gradually brought in contact, thus combing the corn from the tips to the butts in such a manner as not to. injure the ber; thereby effecting a great saving rin the most delicate and valuable portion of the brush.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A, A is the frame.

B, B, is a wheel having one or mo-re rows of teeth on its rim or periphery upon which the broom-corn is placed and held while it is being combed. There is also on the side of the wheel, presented in Fig. l, an internal gear: a, a, a, into which the pinion M, represented in Fig. 3, works; this internal gear terminates in, or is contiguous to the bevel gear b, b, into which the pinion N, works, which is of a less diameter than that of M, and is fixed on the shaft O.

C, C', is the comb cylinder placed longitudinally with the plane of the wheel, the

teeth of which, as seen in Fig. 2, are set so as to begin to opera-te upon the substance to be combed when it shall have arrived at the apex of the wheel B, it having been previously bent down parallel with the plane of the wheel by the pressure bar D as seen by the arrow in Fig. 3. On the axis or shaft of the cylinder C, is a pulley I, I, as seen by the dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 3.

E, E, E, E, are endless belts upon which the substance to be combed is transversely laid, they passingA around the pulleys- F, F.

G', G, are pressure spur rolls for pressing the corn upon the teeth of the wheel B.

H, H, is a rod or bar for keeping the corn on the teeth of the wheel while it is being combed.

J, J, are curved bars or fingers placed on each side of the wheel B and extending beyond the base of the teeth which serve to draw the broom-corn oft' t-he wheel after it is combed; it is then taken by the spur roll K, K, and discharged even and regularly upon any suitatble receptacle outside of the frame; the plate L serving at the same time to clear the corn from thev roll, it having projections on its lower edge which enter the grooves a, c, o, c, in the roll as seen in Figs. 2 and 4; the plate also having slots d, d, d, to admit the spurs of the roll to pass in their revolutions.

P, is a pulley fixed tothe shaft O, from which a belt runs to the pulley I as seen by the dotted lines e, c, in Figs. 2 and 3.

Operation: Having laid the substance to be combed transversely upon the belts E, E, E, E, motion is communicated to them by the pulley S, which is fixed on the crank shaft R, upon which also is fixed the pinion M giving motion to the wheel B which c0nnecting with the gear N, gives motion to the shaft O, on which is pulley P which gives motion also to cylinder C, by the belts, c, e. The broom-corn being forced upon the teeth of the wheel by the pressure rolls G, G, which receives motion from the belts Q is brought under the bar D (as the wheel revolves) which is concentric to, but below the rim of the wheel thus bending it down in contact with the comb c ylinder which revolves at a great velocity while the wheel moves with a much less speed as is apparent by the proportions 4of the gear; thus stripping the seed entirely olf without injury to the fiber, and delivering it by the fingers J, J and roll K in an even and regular manner.

It will be seen that the pressure spur roll marked G is of larger diameter than the one marked'G which serves by t-he faster motion of its face to turn the ends ofthe broom-corn or other substance to be hatcheled to an angnlar position whileV pressing it on the teeth of the wheel; thus rendering it more sure to come in Contact with the comb cylinders in its proper place.

It will also be observed that the bar D, in bending the broom-corn or any other fibrous article to the plane of the wheel, serves to hold it more firmly in its proper position and renders the cylinder teeth less liable to draw the article to be combed through the teeth of the Wheel B which seize and hold the corn firmly thus giving them a position and substantial character, while the rotary motion of the wheel B holding the corn on its periphery the cyl` inder C combs or hatchels itin such a manner that one cylinder will do the work as thoroughly as two Will, as they are commonly arranged, with an expenditure of much less power', while it occupies less room, as the motion can be given directly to cylinder C, it receiving it, at the part represented in C and transmitting the same to the other parts of the machine inversely as above described.

I do not claim setting teeth spirally on cylinders; I am aware they have been so used a long time; neither do I claim an endless beaded belt constructed of any proper material having lugs or spikes as described in combination with comb rollers set diagonally upon a frame as employed by Lorenzo D. Grosvenor, patented Sept. Eventy third, eighteen hundred fifty one.

lVhat I do claim as my invention and wish to secure by Letters Patent is l. The combination of the wheel B or its equivalent, (such as a rim, or circle,) having one or more rows of teeth in its periphery with one or more cylinders C placed parallel or nearly so, with the plane of the wheel B.

2. I also claim the bar D arranged in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

3. I also claim the spur roller K in combination with the plate L substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signedmy name before two subscribing witnesses this fourth day of March 1856.

' GEORGE E. BURT.

Witnesses:

REUBEN WHITCOMB, REUBEN WHITcoMB, Jr. 

